Seven Cities of Greed

Jean Sheldon

978-0-9723541-7-2

Jean Sheldon has written yet another great book. It is so full of ancient mysteries and guys that are trouble, everyone will enjoy this book. A small book falls into the wrong hands and book's owner goes in search of the mystery the book unfolds. Murder follows the women who want to discover all they can in the arizona hills. Jean shows the different characters through out the story, that there is no way you can become confused.

This book shows kidnapping, rescue and murder so well written that you can not put the book down. This book is such a surprise that I recommend this book to everyone. Jean Sheldon has mixed friendship, adventure, terror and ancient history so well together, that I will be on the look out for more of her books.

Reviewed on 01/06/2012 by ReviewTheBook.com Member donna mcguire

A very entertaining treasure hunt and thriller, somewhat reminiscent of the "Sisterhood" series by Fern Michaels with its mixed group of heroes.  Jean Sheldon has written an adventure based on legend and history from the invasion of the Spanish conquistadors in the 1500s and the discovery of a journal presumably dated from 1539.

The reader is brought into the story very quickly with the abduction of Jacqueline Tracy, who has unwittingly purchased this journal at a book auction because she liked the carved leather cover. She has a tendency to forget about auction purchases until they are delivered and so is unable to tell her kidnappers where the journal is.

Jackie's friends, almost all middle-aged including Jackie, soon realize she is missing. The police won't do anything until there is more information, so the women turn to Jackie's friend Nicole, an ex-cop and now private investigator. Little do they know the abuse Jackie is going through, nor the kindness of one of her captors, a giant of a man.

Her group of merry girls manages to rescue her, but they are incredulous when Jackie hires Chuck, the captor's 7'4" assistant, to be her bodyguard, and she won't take "no" for an answer. She is sure he is a good man and didn’t want any part in the kidnapping but had his own reasons for being involved. What impressed her was his kindness and his assistance in helping with her escape. Their group now numbering six including Jackie's Aunt Beth and Chuck, starts trying to sort out what the kidnapping was all about. While Jackie was away, a parcel that had been overlooked in a delivery truck finally made its arrival, and of course, it is the journal being sought after by somebody pulling the strings in the background regarding Jackie's kidnapping.  Someone with a great deal of money and a ruthless greed.

Gwen, a psychiatrist in their close-knit group of friends, is able to translate most of the ancient Spanish, touching off a decision to go to New Mexico. Several things happen that hurry them on their way. Our modern group sets off on a vacation which, though exciting, is not at all the kind of excitement they expected or wanted. 

There are several interesting characters in this book, not all in a good way. Our motley but hardy crew is made up with Jackie and her adventurous aunt Beth. Beth Tracy has raised Jackie in Chicago from childhood, the city where all their friends live, but still maintains the house in New Mexico where Jackie lived before her parents died. Pat, whose partner recently died, lives with her cat Zodiac above the bookstore Jackie owns. Nicole, the P.I., Gwen, the psychiatrist, and Chuck, Jackie's new friend, bodyguard and excellent cook. Then there are the "bad" guys under the thumb and threat of one psychotic "Conquistador".

This book surprised me. I learned some history along the way, the legend of the "streets paved with gold" as understood from the journal, that middle-age can be exciting, loyal friendship is a wonderful thing to have, and when you are being chased by a madman always watch your back!  Ms. Sheldon has mixed adventure, terror, history, and the beauty of New Mexico into a story I didn't want to put down. The characters, even the worst of them, molded a certain fascination into the story. I feel with these characters she has the makings of a series, though I have no idea if that is in the author's future. She has written a variety of books and possibly prefers stand-alone stories. I want to keep my eye on this author's output, I'm sure it will be interesting.

Reviewed on 08/24/2010 by ReviewTheBook.com Member Betty Gelean

Who knew that owning a bookstore could be so dangerous? Certainly the thought escaped Jacqueline Tracy and her friends. When she purchased an old leather journal at an auction she expected to get a good read out of it, turns out she got more than that. Not only does the journal hold historical information about New Mexico in the 1530’s some believe that it holds information that can lead you to the Seven Cities of Cibola, the cities of gold. With a rare find on their hand the friends soon find themselves in one near disaster after another. When you combine the fact that the journal is thought to be a treasure map, and the fact that the one who seeks the journal thinks of himself as the reincarnated Emperor of Cibola, this makes for one daring adventure.

Plus through out the book we see that the beginning of each chapter is inscribed with bits from the journa. Who will reach the Seven Cities of Cibola first, or do they even exist? Find out in Jean Sheldon’s “Seven Cities of Greed”

When it comes to mysteries, I am normally not a big fan, but when I started reading “Seven Cities of Greed”, by Jean Sheldon I found that I could not put the book down. The way the author wrote the story it was two stories in one, without one overshadowing the over. Plus a bit of history never hurt a book in my opinion. Although I will say that there was places in this book that dragged on, but they were few and far between, so that they plot actually advanced quickly. If you are a reader that likes a bit of History with your Mystery then you should give “Seven Cities of Greed”, by Jean Sheldon a try.

Reviewed on 05/27/2010 by ReviewTheBook.com Member Angela Simmons

Reviewed on 05/21/2010 by ReviewTheBook.com Member Mindy Detweiler

Reviewed on 03/27/2010 by ReviewTheBook.com Member Jud Hanson